


Hang Time

by dazzling_icer (centz)



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-29
Updated: 2011-08-29
Packaged: 2017-10-23 05:27:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/246748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/centz/pseuds/dazzling_icer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke meets a mysterious stranger while at an amusement park with Casey and Maddie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hang Time

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything. Not ATWT, or Cedar Point. This is all fabrication!

"I can't believe you guys are making me do this...I really can't believe you guys are making me do this!"

"Luke, man, chill out! You agreed to go on this class trip. WE didn't make you do anything!"

"Oh, Casey, you aren't helping!" Maddie told her boyfriend before laying a delicate hand on Luke's shoulder. "Luke, you are going to be OK. I've been on this ride a thousand times. You are gonna have fun!"

"I'm not so sure about that..."

"Dude, why did you decide to go to Cedar Point with our class if you are afraid of roller coasters!?"

Luke looked down at his feet, and then up at the ride before him. The blue mountain bore down upon him, leaving him feeling suffocated. He hated roller coasters.

"I really don't know," Luke began, peeling his eyes away from the ride and placing them back on his friends. "I thought maybe I could get over my fear of heights."

"Well, this would certainly help you," Maddie laughed. "The Millennium Force is one of the biggest rides in the park!"

"I can see that," Luke stated plainly. He looked up at the hill again, the 310 foot demon piercing through the sky. He started to feel dizzy. "Guys, this is not a good idea. I thought that maybe I could start small, ya know? And build my way toward the bigger rides?"

"No way, man," Casey shook his head. "This is the only way. Look, if you can tackle the biggest, toughest ride in the park, the others are gonna be a breeze! You'll see."

Luke gave a shaky sigh. "If you say so."

"Come on, Luke...have Casey and I ever lied to you?"

"Well, there was that one time..." and just like that, the three friends broke out into a conversation about the past, and Maddie was happy to finally get Luke's mind off of the ride. She had never seen him so nervous in her life. He was usually full of a constant calm and steadiness, but the boy in front of her was practically shaking in his shoes. She swore she could see his heart racing.

The conversation carried the trio all the way through the silver queues, and they finally arrived to the last leg of the line, the ascending ramp that led to the ride platform. Luke saw how close they were getting and their talk no longer brought him peace of mind. He began a frenzied chant of "I can't believe I'm about to do this, I can't believe I'm about to do this", garnering him a few questionable looks from people around him. Maddie once again placed a calming hand on Luke's arm.

"Luke, don't worry. You've made it this far. You can do this."

Luke heard Maddie's words, but his fear overpowered them, and her reassurances were quickly pushed away. Luke, Maddie, and Casey continued to move up in the line, and soon reached the area where trains were relieved of their previous riders before heading off to take on new ones. A yellow train was just pulling in, and a worker began to speak enthusiastically into a microphone.

"Welcome back, riders! How was your ride?!?!"

The people on the train errupted into a loud roar of delightful cheers, and began to unbuckle their seatbelts and remove their lapbars.

"See that, Luke?" Casey asked, pointing to the people getting off of the train. "They all had fun! You'll do fine!"

Luke was about to break into an arguement about how he was not those people, but decided to use his energy on surpressing his fear instead. Which, to this point, he had been failing miserably at. He didn't understand why this was so hard for him. He wanted to come on this trip with his class and spend the day with Casey and Maddie. He wanted to overcome his fear of heights, something that has been a part of his life ever since he was little and got stuck on the top of a ferris wheel with his Grandma Emma.

But overcoming his fear has been harder than he thought. He took one look at all of the roller coasters after stepping off of the bus and his heart sank into his stomach. And now, Maddie was insisting that he ride one of the biggest rides right off the bat, even before a small warm-up.

They continued to steadily move up to the platform, where a worker was assigning riders to certain rows of the train. They were stopped just short of making the next train, and Luke was now starting to feel how close they really were to getting on the ride.

"Oh, we are next!" Maddie exclaimed excitedly, tugging on Casey's shirt sleeve.

"I know! It's gonna be so..."

"Hey! Do we have any single riders?!" a ride attendant interrupted. "We need a single rider!"

"He's a single rider!" Casey shouted, motioning toward Luke.

"WHAT?!"

The ride attendant waved Luke ahead through the turnstyles.

"No way!" Luke panicked, turning to his friends. "You are NOT making me go through this by myself!"

"Luke, you were gonna be riding by yourself anyway!" Casey pointed out.

"Yeah, and this way, it will all be over sooner!" Maddie argued. "Now go. We will be right behind you on the next one."

Luke turned to the attendant, who was still trying to wave him through, and then back at his friends. His heart was practically breaking through his sternum at this point, and he was suddenly very thankful that he skipped out on breakfast this morning.

He carefully stepped passed the group of people in front of him and entered through the turnstyle. The ride attendant quickly led him to a row near the middle fo the train, and then returned back to the line. Luke stepped in between the silver queues and started to feel himself sweating nervously. He glanced up at the guy in line that he was riding with. He was tall, with brown hair, and he was facing the train with his back toward Luke. The blonde then glanced to his right, where the train exits the station and immediately begins to ascend the hill. He stared at the track, the dark blue steel causing his stomach to turn and his limbs to shake. At that moment, blue became his least favorite color in the entire world.

Luke watched as workers checked seatbelts and lapbars for the current train, and scanned the faces of the people who were about ready to ride. All of them had an expression of excitement and thrill for the upcoming adrenaline rush they were about to experience. He even spotted little kids with smiles on their faces as they were being buckled in by their parents. He tried to coax his mind into being as brave as they were, but his body wasn't having any of it. It was still showing its protest in anxious shakes and a speeding pulse.

"Come on, Luke...settle down," he frantically began to mutter to himself. "...you can do this...it's no big deal...just conquer your fear...you can do this..."

Suddenly, the man in front of him turned and gazed at him. He heard his hurried pleas and noticed his shaking form and smiled at him.

"Are you gonna be OK?"

Luke's mind broke away from his chanting, and turned to the brunet.

"I-I think so..." he stammered. "I'm just kinda afraid of heights..."

"Ah, I see. First time at The Point?" the man asked.

"Y-yeah...Senior Class trip."

"That's cool! Me too! Where are you from?"

"Umm," Luke nervously cleared his throat. "I'm from Illinois."

"Wow, that's far from here! Are you staying all weekend?"

"Uh, no. We are just staying tonight and then heading back tomorrow," Luke explained. He looked up at the man, and allowed himself to really look at him for the first time. He had a boyish face and a slim body that fit well with his tall posture. He was wearing a simple vintage tee with khaki shorts, and as he stood there, with his hands in his pockets and his body leaning against the silver queue, he looked completely comfortable in his own skin. "W-what about you? Where are you from?"

"I'm a local. Go to school right here in Sandusky. Cedar Point is like my second home...I come here all the time. I'm a bit of an adrenaline junky," he confessed with a laugh.

Luke didn't think it was possible, but his heart sunk deeper into his stomach. This was just wonderful...he was stuck riding with a cute looking boy who had absolutely no fear of roller coasters or heights, and here he was absolutely shaking in his skin. His heart started to race faster, and he began to shift uncomfortably. The brunet took notice of his discomfort, and gave him a small smile.

"Hey, you really have nothing to worry about. It will all be over before you know it. And I promise you, you are gonna get off this ride wanting to ride it over and over again."

Luke was about to argue with the stranger, just like he did before with Casey and Maddie, when suddenly the silver barrier before them sprung open, and a voice was telling the passengers to step into the train. He watched as the tall boy took a couple steps forward, and stepped into the red train, passing over the first seat to sit on the left side. Luke took a glance back at Maddie and Casey standing in line, and they gave him a smile and a thumbs up. After taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, he finally clenched his fists and walked forward to step into the train.

He sat down in the seat and with shaky hands, buckled his seatbelt and pulled it as tight as he could get it. He then pulled the lapbar toward him, and pressed it down into his lap until he felt it was secure enough to hold him in. His legs began to anxiously shake, and as the announcer came on and began to give instructions to the riders, the reality before him hit him like a ton of bricks.

Any minute now, he was going to be moving up the steel blue hill before him...toward what he felt likely to be his impending doom. His hands became clammy, his breathing became erratic as this throat threatened to collapse. His heart was violently pulsating inside his chest, and his mind was racing in fear.

He couldn't do this.

He pressed his eyes tightly shut, and reached his left hand out and grabbed onto the brunet's hand sitting next to him, squeezing tightly.

"I don't think I can do this," he breathed heavily, eyes still shut. "This was a mistake. I should have never come here. I should have never let Maddie and Casey talk me into this...I can't do this!"

The stranger gently squeezed Luke's hand in return, and gave him a sweet smile.

"Hey, hey, look at me."

Luke's eyes fluttered open and he turned his head shakily toward his riding partner.

"You are gonna get through this, OK?" he spoke soothingly. "There is nothing to be afraid of...I'm gonna be right here with you."

Luke gazed into the stranger's eyes and met blue. A panging jolt entered his chest at the recognition of his newly found least favorite color, but it dissipated as quickly as it came. This man's blue eyes were different. This blue didn't bring fear and terror to his heart like the steel of the track before him. No, this blue was the epitomy of calm and safety. This blue caused his body to still and his mind to block out his surroundings. This blue caused him to forget that he was even afraid in the first place.

That is, until he felt the train begin to move forward.

"Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God," Luke panicked, as he snapped his head back to the headrest and shut his eyes again. He grasped the brunet's hand tighter as he felt himself being laid back at a 45 degree angle as the train ascended the hill.

"Just relax," the brunet eased. "The worst is almost over."

At that moment, the train picked up speed as the elevator belt began to propel the train over the hill. Luke clutched tighter to the brunet's hand as the hill's G-forces caused his stomach to turn. As they were whipped through more hills and turns and tunnels at over 90 mph, the fierce wind ravished the boys' hair and sent their bodies flying at every which way. But their clasped hands never moved.

As the train exited the last tunnel and completed it's final half-inverted turn, it came to a sudden stop. The brunet looked over at his riding partner, whose eyes were now as big as saucers, and his breath was heaving greatly.

"Hey, it's over! You did it!"

Luke didn't respond. He sat there speechless, staring ahead of him, completely frozen. The train entered the exit platform and came to a final stop.

"Welcome back, riders! How was your ride?!"

Just like before, cheers of delight chorused through the platform, and people began to exit the train.

"At this time please push down and pull up on your lapbar, unbuckle your seatbelt, and exit down the platform to your right. Thanks for riding the Millennium Force and enjoy the rest of your day here at Cedar Point, America's Rockin' Roller Coast!"

With his free hand, the stranger released his lapbar and unbuckled his seatbelt before turning to the blonde. His shoulders gently rose and fell with every breath as he sat facing forward, unmoving. The brunet stood up, and released Luke's lapbar. He then reached across his lap and unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Hey," he began, trying to get Luke's attention. "The ride is over. You made it!" When Luke didn't respond, he placed his free hand underneath his shoulder and helped him up out of the seat. That seemed to break him from his reverie, and he blinked and looked over at the blue-eyed man.

"It's over?"

This caused the stranger to let out a slight laugh.

"Yes, it's over. We have to get off the train now," he told him, motioning toward the platform. Luke nodded and stepped out of the train, his riding partner right behind him. He took one step on the platform and he felt his legs shakily give out. Still clutching his hand, the stranger caught him, and steadied him to his feet.

"Are you OK?"

"Uhh...I-I think so," Luke responded, feeling a little lightheaded.

"Come on, let's get out of here," the brunet chuckled, as he guided Luke down the stairs and through the exit path. They passed through the exit gate, and came to a small photo hut, where people were gathered to see their pictures that were taken on the ride. The stranger led him through the crowd, looking up at the screens to try and find them. He finally spotted their picture, and moved to get a closer look at it.

In the photo, Luke had his eyes squeezed shut, clutching the man's hand, and the brunet was looking at him with a giant smile on his face. It was quite a comical sight.

"Oh, man...I can't believe I actually went on that thing."

"You did well," the brunet told him, looking at the blonde and smiling. "You do look scared to death in this picture, though. You looked like that throughout the whole ride!"

Luke looked back up at the picture, and let out a small laugh. The sight of him looking so fearful was, in actuality, quite amusing. A strange sense of pride flooded his person, as he thought of his accomplishment. Although he closed his eyes for the duration of the ride, and never let go of the stranger's hand, he made it off the ride in one piece. He rode one of the biggest rides in all of Cedar Point and survived. With that thought, his body released itself of its tension, and he finally felt calm again. His heart returned to its regular pace, and his breathing steadied. Progress was definitely made.

The stranger led them out of the hut, away from the crowd and into the warm morning sun. The light breeze from Lake Erie tussled their already messed up hair, and sent a chill down Luke's spine. He shivered. The sensation that spread from his spinal cord to his limbs caused Luke to realize that he was still attached to the stranger's hand. He quickly looked up at him and pulled it away.

"I'm really sorry about that," he confessed. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable and I'm sorry I didn't realize that I still had your hand sooner. I was just so scared and I wasn't thinking and I..."

"Hey, calm down," the brunet laughed. "It was fine. I was glad to help. I love these rides so much, anything I can do to help others appreciate them as much as I do, I am all for, so don't worry about it. I'm happy you got through it."

"Thank you," Luke smiled sheepishly, and cast his eyes to his feet. His cheeks felt flushed, and he wasn't sure if it was from the adrenaline of the ride, or from the stranger's sweet smile. He hoped it was the latter.

"LUKE! HEY!"

Luke snapped his head up toward the voice, and saw Maddie and Casey running out the exit gate and heading over to where him and the stranger were standing.

"You made it! Wasn't it an absolute blast!" Maddie asked out of breath.

"It was OK..." Luke admitted, smiling up at the stranger. "I'm just glad I got through it."

"So, who is this with you, Luke?" Casey asked, looking at the blue-eyed boy up and down.

"Oh, umm...this is..."

"Noah. Noah Mayer."

"Noah...he was my riding partner. He helped me get through the ride." Maddie and Casey looked back and forth between the two boys, catching the obvious connection between them. Maddie smiled widely.

"Well, Case and I are gonna go and look at our picture from the ride! Be right back!" she grabbed her boyfriend's hand and turned toward the small hut. "Nice to meet you, Noah!"

"Yeah! Thanks for helping our Luke!" Casey shouted back, before turning and following Maddie into the crowd of people.

"Yeah, thanks again, Noah...I don't think I could have made it through without you there."

"Hey, like I said, I was glad to help. And I would do it again..."

Luke and Noah looked into each other's eyes, but said nothing. Luke felt his stomach turning again, but this time, it had absolutely nothing to do with G-forces.

The two boys stood in comfortable silence for a moment, shuffling their feet and stealing small glances at each other. One of them had to break the ice, but neither knew what to say. Luke looked up and saw the 310 foot mountain that he just got off of. He still couldn't believe he rode that. He looked around at the other rides in the area, seeing others just as big and just as fast as the one he just fought through. He suddenly became anxious again.

Turning back to Noah, his brown eyes met with those blue ones once more. And for the second time that morning, his fears were gone. In this set of deep blue eyes, he felt that he could survive anything, as long as he could stare into their ethereal pools. There, in those blue eyes, he found endless strength.

"Umm...Noah?" Luke finally broke the silence. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, Luke?"

"Umm...would you mind...maybe...going on it with me again?"

 

END


End file.
